Going Through the Paces
by Piccolo Sky
Summary: During Summer Swap Meet, the Mane Six meet an unusual and strange acting pony visiting the community. However, this unconventional mare is harboring a big secret that Twilight must discover quickly if she is to avert a tragedy...


AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm new to this section of fanfiction dot net although I've been writing stuff for this site for a while. For those of you who are familiar with my "traditional fare", you are probably sitting there asking yourselves: "Did he _really_ write this?"

Yes, yes I did.

This is probably the biggest departure from my traditional genres I've ever taken. I'm not very familiar with it, so let's see how I do.

Ideally, I tried to make this fit within the span of what would be a standard 22-minute episode in real time. I also tried to confine myself to the "target age level". So no swearing, no blood, etc., etc. That said, I used this story to touch on two subjects I felt were important, and I don't think the actual writers of MLP would ever touch on the second one (Y-rating and all), even though I tried to make it more on the level for children.

At any rate, let's see how you all like it. Enjoy!

UPDATE (2/1/2013): I went over this story one more time to correct a few things but also for another reason. As it seems clear Derpy is never coming back, it is the duty of fans to make sure that her memory never fades. Therefore, I'm planning on inserting a Derpy background pony in every MLP story I've written.

* * *

"Come on, Spike! Hurry it up!"

The baby dragonservant answered with a grunt, which was pretty much par for the course whenever doing any task for Twilight Sparkle. He struggled to maintain his balance as he walked along down the street under a stack of books at least six feet high, straining to evade the other ponies moving along pulling carts or laden with saddlebags.

"That would have been a smarter idea..." He muttered as he saw one merrily trot by using a cart. "I don't see why we're even doing this, Twilight! I mean Winter Wrap-Up and Nightmare Night are two things...but Summer Swap Meet? Bor-ring!"

Twilight sighed and stopped in her tracks, turning around and looking over the large load in her own saddlebags back to Spike. "Ok, so maybe it's not as big of a holiday as the others. But this is still really important too."

"Really important? All it is is a bunch of ponies coming together to get rid of their old junk!"

"It's not just junk, Spike." Twilight responded, immediately going into one of her 'book-recitation' modes. "Summer Swap Meet is where all the ponies in Ponyville either sell or trade some of their own personal arts and crafts or things that they have collected over the years. It's a chance for ponies to get all sorts of new and rare things they may never find anywhere else and that may not be found in stores anymore, and for ponies to both learn how to let go of some of their own possessions and share them with others so they can get as much joy out of them as they did."

Naturally, Spike was rolling his eyes to all of this...not to mention buckling under his own load. "Ugh...at least it's a chance to get rid of some of your extra books..."

Immediately, Twilight's face turned more serious.

"Speaking of that...um, which books did you pick out, exactly?"

"Only the heavier ones..." The dragon murmured...before immediately opening his eyes wide. "I mean, the ones you won't miss!" He corrected.

"Huh?" Twilight responded. "Let me take a look..."

The unicorn's horn was enveloped in a purple aura, which immediately spread itself around the topmost book. Taking it off the top, she brought it in front of her...and gasped.

"Spike! This is my 'Complete Compendium to Mosses and Ferns of the Western Hemisphere'! You can't give that away!"

"Equestria is in the _Eastern_ Hemisphere, Twilight..." Spike muttered.

However, Twilight immediately went for another one. "'A Farewell to Horseshoes'?! Spike, this is my favorite book by Ernest Hoovingway! I read it at least twice a year!"

"But you have five copies! And that's the one you spilled cider on a week ago!"

Twilight was growing frantic now as she pulled off another. She gasped. "'Elementary Spells Beginner's Edition'?! Spike, this is the first book of spells I ever received! How could you?"

"You memorized that book in the first week and you still know every word by heart, Twilight!" The dragon responded. "For crying out loud, these are the books you never touch in your library but you always yank out and make me put back up when you're looking for a different book! You'd find things easier without them! Ugh...why are you so attached to junk?"

Twilight fumed a moment, but then sighed and turned back around.

"Oh well, at least we still have these old things we can take to the Swap Meet," The unicorn admitted as she opened her satchel and looked around inside. "Like your first blanket."

Immediately, Spike's head shot up. In a flash, he dropped the remaining stack of books, shot over to the satchel, and instantly snatched the blanket out of it and clutched it protectively to his chest.

"Give it here! You can't get rid of that! That's a memento!"

Twilight immediately rolled her eyes. "...It's stained, threadbare, and has a hole that takes up over half of it from the first time you coughed up fire in your sleep."

"But...it's mine..." The dragon responded, going big and teary-eyed for his mistress, sticking out a quivering lower lip.

Twilight merely let out a groan.

* * *

**"GOING THROUGH THE PACES"**

* * *

The main square in Ponyville was already filled with the residents. While some families had splurged on stands, most of them had set up along tables that had been put out for everyone, somewhat like a large yard sale. As a result, there were already many tables lined with things, and many ponies out talking to each other already, using the opportunity to chat as well as haggle for various items.

It took them some time, but Twilight and Spike had finally found a table of their own, and Spike was only too happy to let the books go. Yet as it turned out, after arguing a lot on the way, the two had only agreed to giving away one book of Twilight's that was missing a cover, as well as half of its pages (and even _then_ she had been reluctant), and an old checkers game of Spike's that had only two red pieces and one black left.

Both stared blankly at them on putting them out, and at how pathetic it looked, before Spike's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah...I'm sure _lots_ of ponies will want this stuff..."

Twilight looked a little sheepish herself, especially on seeing how much other stuff the other ponies had placed on the tables. Ignoring her own flimsy offerings, she began to look around the other things.

"Wow...there's quite a lot of stuff here..."

"Ugh, Twilight...just look at this..." Spike retorted, moving along the rows of the tables. "Old, dirty baking sheets... Ugly vases with clowns on them... Used hat boxes... Baskets that are falling apart..." He stopped and looked to her. "Who in their right mind would want any of this junk?"

The unicorn opened her mouth to respond...and before a single word could come out, she was cut off by what sounded like a distant whine. Puzzled, Twilight blinked and closed her mouth, only to hear the squeal slowly build in intensity, like an incoming bomb. Spike began to look up and around as well as it grew louder and louder, until, finally, both looked to the source...just in time to see a pink streak shoot into their midst going at approximately 200 mph before coming to a perfect halt right in front of them, kicking up a massive cloud of dust that forced both of them to recoil.

When the cloud died down, and Twilight and Spike both blinked and looked back...they saw Pinkie Pie standing in their midst, grinning so much she almost seemed to bypass her ears as she stared in captivated delight at the tables. In moments, she was prancing about shooting by all the same things.

"Oh-my-gosh!-Oh-my-gosh!-Oh-my-gosh!-Just-look-at-all-this-stuff!-This-is-the-best-Summer-Swap-Meet-ever!-Look-at-these-baking-sheets!-Look-at-all-the-black-nasty-crud-on- them-that-gives-cookies-the-most-unique-flavor!-Look-at-this-vase!-It-has-a-clown!-I-love-clowns!-Look-at-this-great-hat-box!-It's-wonderful-because,-like,-I-have-so-many-many-many-many-many-many-many-many-many-hat-sized-things-that-would-fit-just-great-in-a-hat-shaped-box!-And-oh-look!-Baskets-that-are-falling-apart!-They're-great-if-you-want-to-go-on-scavenger-hunt-games-because-you-can-be-carrying-something-really-important-in-one-and-it-can-fall-out-at-some-point-but-you-don't-know-it-so-you-have-to-spend-the-rest-of-the-day-looking-for-it-and-you-get-to-go-by-all-the-fun-places-you-passed-by-that-day-and-see-all-the-people-you-already-said-hi-to-again-and-this-is-just-so-TOTALLY-AWESOME!"

Twilight was flabbergasted. So was Spike, but eventually his face fell into a frown.

"...That answers my question."

The unicorn was more tactful, as she stepped forward to Pinkie, struggling to keep her eyes on her as she was bouncing about three times more rapid than usual.

"Uh...hey, Pinkie. I guess you're, obviously, excited about Summer Swap Meet."

She snapped to Twilight. "Are you kidding? It's only the best time for getting stuff outside of the holidays! Well...and birthdays, I guess. Come on, Twilight! Let's go look for more cool stuff together!"

Twilight paused momentarily, but then shrugged. "Uh...ok. Sure. Why not?" She turned back to her dragonservant. "Spike, you stay here and see if anyone wants to buy our stuff. Remember...two bits for the book and one bit for the game."

The dragon merely rolled his eyes. "I'll probably have to give somepony _three_ bits just to take them off our hands..."

"Thanks!" Twilight responded, ignoring this, and soon falling in next to Pinkie as they began to walk off.

* * *

Pinkie, naturally, didn't stop bouncing around as they walked along. Every few seconds she would give an essay on why some otherwise useless-looking piece of junk was the best thing on the market. Twilight, on her part, was growing inclined to believe Spike as time went on. Most of it was nothing she was interested in. Bored with the tables, Twilight directed Pinkie toward the stands instead in hopes of finding something better.

As they walked along, it was only a matter of time before they heard a voice.

"Yoo hoo, oh girls!"

Both Twilight and Pinkie looked up, and soon saw one stand where numerous ponies were already gathered around. It was done up extremely fashionably and glamorously. That, coupled with the voice that was there, soon made it clear who was running it.

Rarity stood behind the counter, waving a hoof at them.

Twilight smiled, and soon both she and Pinkie moved up. It was a bit hard getting to the counter with all of the ponies, who they soon saw were going through various sets of clothes. But they finally managed to.

"Hello, Twilight. Hello, Pinkie."

"Hey, Rarity." Twilight echoed, looking around a bit...and soon noticing that there were numerous fancy and exquisite styles being modeled, most of which looked rather new. She blinked a bit. "Wow...you're selling all of these new clothes?"

"New?" Rarity echoed, letting out one of her airy laughs before shaking her head. "Oh, no-no-no-no-no, dear. These are all last year's styles and they are quite out of date. I need to make more room in my boutique to fill with this season's styles. So I'm using Summer Swap Meet to have something of a clearance sale."

Twilight only blinked more incredulously. "Out of date? But..." She turned to a nearby dress and lifted it up a bit. "This looks wonderful!"

"Well, of course _you_ think so, dear." Rarity answered with a smile as she leaned over and gave Twilight a pat on the shoulder, similar to a parent humoring a child. "You're _three_ years out of date with your own styles."

Twilight merely stared dumbfounded. However, before she could think too much about that comment, Pinkie exclaimed again. "Ooo! Look over there, Twilight!"

The unicorn did, and soon saw a stand set up right next to Rarity's...one that looked familar..._incredibly_ familiar.

"Get yer fresh apple cider, apple tarts, apple crisp, and apple pie here!" Applejack's familiar voice, and sales pitch, called out over the crowds as she stood at the stand...which was made up and filled up exactly like her normal stand would be. "Get 'em while they're hot 'n fresh!"

Seeing this, Twilight and Pinkie stepped away from Rarity's booth and moved up to hers. "Applejack?" She spoke aloud. "Um...what are you doing?"

The pony turned in response to Twilight. "Oh, hey there, Twilight! Hey Pinkie! Well...what's it look like I'm doin'? Joinin' in on Summer Swap Meet, that's what! The Apple family tends to make everythin' go for as long as it can. Heck," She pointed in the distance. "Granny Smith is still usin' her same toothpick from 40 years back."

Twilight's ears fell as she turned and looked, seeing Granny Smith indeed scratching at her remaining tooth with a toothpick that appeared to be growing no less than four types of mold on it and casting up a black cloud of vapor. The unicorn swallowed before looking back to Applejack.

"So I decided I'd sell what the Apple family does best...all kinds of apple goodies! Care for some?"

Twilight blinked in response.

"Um...isn't this what you do every day, though?"

"That's the beauty part." The pony answered with a grin. "Set-up's a snap."

As the unicorn thought over this, and as Pinkie helped herself to an apple pie, another noise soon caught her ear.

"Lame... Lame... _Super_ lame... Lame... _Ultra_ lame..."

Twilight looked in the same direction...and, for the first time that day, her eyes lit up.

One of the stands was headed by an elderly pony...and was stacked high and overflowing with book after book after book. That alone would have been sufficient to draw Twilight like a moth to a flame. However, as it turned out, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were already there. Whereas the shyer pegasus was only tentatively looking over books, Rainbow was looking over them one after another and flinging them aside. In the end, she let out a massive sigh.

"Ugh! There's not one 'Daring Do' book here! All these books are incredibly _old_! They probably came out last century!"

Immediately, in a flash, Twilight was at her side, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed.

"You really think so, Rainbow?" She responded, barely containing her excitement.

"Oh...Rainbow." Fluttershy abruptly spoke up, in her normally milquetoast, barely audible voice as she held up one rather flowery, brightly-colored book and showed it to her. "This one is nice."

Rainbow looked at the book for a moment...and immediately her face fell.

"...That's a baby book, Fluttershy..._literally_."

"Oh, but look." She said, opening it up and paging through it. "It's full of the most adorable images of puppies and kitties and bunnies and birdies and-"

"LAME, Fluttershy!" Rainbow cut off, causing the easily-intimidated pegasus to drop the book and recoil. Immediately, she flapped over to the elderly pony. "Don't you have anything with action and adventure? Like hidden temples and lost civilizations and booby traps? You know...fun stuff!"

"Eh? Fun stuff, ay?" The book seller answered. A moment later, he dove down under his stall, and came back up with a book in his teeth. He set it in front of Rainbow, who scooped it up...and blinked at the cover.

"...'Equestria's Greatest Crosswords'?"

"Not too worry, young filly." The elderly pony explained. "I never got past the first puzzle or two, so most of them are still blank, but they kept me busy for five years."

Rainbow's face fell...even as Pinkie, still hopping up and down, moved in next to her.

"Ooo! Crossword puzzles! I love those!" She seized the book from Rainbow and flipped to a random page. "Quick! What's a word for something that's really, really annoying?"

"...'Pinkie'?" Rainbow suggested with a frown.

"Tee hee! Silly, that's six letters and we need a seven letter word!"

Twilight, meanwhile, had delved into the books herself. Using her horn, she moved a few around, looking at the various titles for a moment, before she looked up to one stack...and froze.

The world seemed to fade away, and light radiated from the one book that she spotted on top of a stack, like she had found the Elements of Harmony all over again. Immediately, nervously, she extended her magic to pull the book down and bring it to her...and gasped in delight as she looked at the front of it.

"I...I don't believe it!" She exclaimed. "It's...it's a first edition of 'An Equestrian Reflection, the Memoirs of Aurora Borealis'! She was the greatest unicorn in the world for over 2,000 years! She built half the libraries and schools in the native country! She was the first to research an Ursa Major! And this is the _first_ edition! The one written in her own native dialect before they started translating!"

Rainbow scratched her head. "Don't you mean where everyone called themselves 'we' and used 'thou' a lot?"

She soon snapped back as a beaming Twilight stuck her head in her face. _"Yes!_ It'll take three times as long to read as the modern editions!"

As she recoiled, Rainbow blinked. "Uh...that's a good thing?"

The owner, meanwhile, smiled and nodded. "Yup, young filly. That's the most prized one of my collection. But...I'm getting up in years and thinking of moving to Floridale. Can't take all these books with me. Might as well let you young ponies get some use out of them."

Twilight hopped up and down eagerly, almost imitating Pinkie Pie. "Oh, this is too wonderful! I have to have it! How much do you want for it?"

"Hmm...I think about 50 bits will do it."

Twilight's eagerness died as abruptly as a popped balloon. She immediately slumped to the ground and twitched one of her eyes. "Fif...fifty?"

"Well, it _is_ the rarest book in my collection. I know over in Fillydelphia you have to pay at least 100 bits. But what the heck... Summer Swap Meet only comes once a year."

This didn't help the unicorn much. Swallowing, she turned and opened her saddlebag. She looked through it a moment, then nervously back to the owner.

"I...I only have 30 bits..."

"Sorry, young filly. I may be old, but I'd be crazy to part with it for less than that."

The unicorn held for a moment longer, then smiled sheepishly.

"Uh...how about 30 bits and part of a checker's game? Heh...it's guaranteed to be ten times faster than a normal game of checkers!"

* * *

It was amazing that Twilight knew which way she was walking five minutes later, as low to the ground as her head was hung. She let out the tenth sigh she had made in the past minute alone.

"Oh, lighten up, Twilight." Rainbow stated as she flew alongside. "That was just a dumb old wrinkled book about boring history anyway."

"Are you sure you don't want me to lend you my book?" Fluttershy asked from nearby. "I'm sure this wonderful picture of baby tadpoles will cheer you up."

"...No thanks, Fluttershy." Twilight responded.

"Don't be sad, Twilight!" Pinkie spoke as she came in next to her. "I'm sure there's plenty of other fun things you can afford at the swap meet!"

"Not like that, Pinkie..." Twilight responded as they came up to the next stall. "That's the best thing here. That book is so rare I could never find it even in the libraries of Canterlot. It's a miracle that I saw it here..."

"Oh, it'll be alright! You still have two more days to get 20 more bits!" Pinkie exclaimed. She looked up soon after, and lit up even more. "Hey, look over there!"

Twilight, despite her low state, looked up, as did the other ponies, and soon saw the next stand. As it turned out, it was being run by Zecora. It seemed she had a number of herbs and folk remedies for sale at her stand. Several of the older ponies were looking them over, mostly ones that looked like they had aches and pains. Pinkie immediately hopped over, with Rainbow, Fluttershy, and...following a bit more slowly...Twilight. The zebra turned and smiled to them as they came.

"Hey, Zecora!" Pinkie called as she arrived. "What'cha selling?"

"Ah, welcome ponies, to my humble stand. I'm selling home remedies, all made by hand." She responded.

"Say, Zecora...you think you have any potion that would help Twilight make a lot of money in two days?" Pinkie asked.

At this, Twilight managed to lean up and sigh a little. "Forget it, Pinkie. It's ok..."

However, the mare was already darting about various bushels that were arranged in a rack-like format, showing off different herbs. "Ooo! This one's nice! So's this one! And this one! But none of it looks like it makes you rich... Oh, what about this one!"

The other ponies looked, and saw that Pinkie was now hovering over one particular bushel that was filled with gold leaves. However, when Zecora saw Pinkie seeing it...she immediately went wide-eyed. Twilight spotted this, and noticed that Zecora hadn't looked that shocked since the day they busted into her home.

"Oh look! These leaves are gold! So pretty! It looks like they'll make you rich!" She reached out to touch them.

For the first time since any of the ponies had known the zebra, Zecora immediately swung her hoof out and smacked Pinkie's own away. "Stop!"

A loud smack rang out, and immediately Pinkie yelped and held her hand back. "Ow!" She looked at Zecora with teary eyes. "What'd you do that for?"

"That herb is Goldfoil, a most splendid leaf. However, it is not for young ponies to eat." The zebra responded, looking seriously at all of them...enough to gain all of their attentions. Even Twilight forgot about the book on seeing her like this.

"Take a nibble or two, when you're sick with the flu...but if you eat enough..._you'll never wake up."_

The four simultaneously swallowed at that. "You mean..." Twilight began to say uneasily.

"Like...the _big_ sleep?" Rainbow added, sounding nervous herself for a change.

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy whined, beginning to recoil beneath her wings.

Pinkie was quivering all over. "Uh...um...I think I'd like to check out Applejack's stand again and..." Suddenly, something caught her interest, and her eyes went wide. "Oh!"

Distracted by Pinkie's exclamation, Twilight and the others looked.

While they had been so distracted, another pony had arrived...one about their age. None of them had ever seen her before, which meant, in the small town of Ponyville, she was a new arrival. Although she looked young enough, her mane had not been styled and lay flat against her head. Her coat was dark gray. Her Cutie Mark was "cute" only in the most academic sense of the word...it portrayed a thick gray fog on a landscape. The pony had a rather somber look on her face. She looked about as listless and grim as the ponies in the Crystal Kingdom had looked when the six had arrived.

At any rate, after a moment, she looked up to Zecora with a rather dull expression.

"...Do you have any Maltwillow?"

Losing her serious look, Zecora turned to the pony and smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do, my young steed. Now how much do you need?"

The pony let out a heavy sigh before muttering in response. "...A month's supply."

"I'll have it in a beat. Please have a seat."

Zecora immediately ducked behind her counter, obviously to prepare some of that herb. However, as she went behind, Twilight raised an eyebrow. "...Maltwillow?" She echoed.

Pinkie, however, was twitching more violently than ever, her grin returning. Fluttershy began to recoil from her, while Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Oh no...I know what this means..."

"Newpony!Newpony!Newpony!"

The pony looked up dully at Pinkie, and soon recoiled a bit in surprise as she began to prance circles around her.

"Newpony!Newpony!Newpony!" She continued. Soon after, she broke into song.

"Welcome, welcome! Fine new filly!

My name's Pinkie! I'm real silly!

We'll be the best of friends, you see!

We'll laugh and play and be happy!

I'd sing some more about our fun,

But you caught me off guard, so now I'm done!"

The pony ended the song by standing right in the mare's face, staring into her eyes with a huge grin.

As for the mare, she stared back dumbfounded, blinking for a few moments, before lowering her head to the side.

"Uh...hi." She said quietly.

"Hello there!" Pinkie went on. "In case you didn't catch it from my song...and I admit it was on rather short notice so I didn't have time to make any lyrics that drew heavy attention to it so I'd understand if you did...my name's Pinkie Pie! What's yours?"

The mare kept her head down.

"...Misty. Misty Meadow."

"Hey there, Misty!" Pinkie called back.

By now, the other ponies began to pull up.

"Oh, hi there. I moved here myself." Twilight said with a bit of a smile. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"I'm Rainbow Dash," Rainbow threw in, before leaning back and shining one of her hooves against her coat. "But...I'm sure _you_ already knew that before you got here. I bet you came because you wanted to see the pegasus who did the Sonic Rainboom in person, didn't you?"

"Oh...uh...um...I'm Fluttershy." The bashful pegasus threw in. "I'm...um...uh...not so good with meetings...so...uh...um...see you later then?"

Twilight let out a sigh at that and turned to her. "Fluttershy, don't be so nervous. You don't have to run off just because a new pony is in town."

Fluttershy blinked in response. "But...um, I didn't, Twilight. She's the one who started walking away."

Twilight leaned up and blinked again, and turned to look.

Sure enough, without a word, Misty had collected her herbs from Zecora, tossed her a few bits, turned and simply begun to walk away, hanging her head low. The four ponies stared in puzzlement at this. They were silent for a few seconds.

"Uh...rude, much?" Rainbow spoke up, frowning. "Can you believe her? She just brushed us off like that! Don't tell me we have _another_ snob in Ponyville!"

Twilight blinked a few times, and shook her head. "I...don't think she was brushing us off, Rainbow...although she _did_ just up and leave..."

"Well, Pinkie is not giving up!" The pink pony exclaimed, and immediately dashed after her.

Soon after, Rainbow and, more reluctantly, Fluttershy began to follow. However, Twilight leaned up. "Wait, girls! Maybe she just wants to be left alone..." However, she trailed off and frowned at seeing that she was soon being left in the dust. Sighing, she began to walk after her as well.

As slow as Misty was walking, it didn't take long for them to catch up. As Pinkie pulled up alongside her and the others took the rear, she turned her head and saw them coming. She frowned a bit.

"...Why are you following me?" She asked.

"Because best friends follow each other around from place to place!" Pinkie said with a grin.

Misty's eyes narrowed. "...I'm not your friend."

"Oh, you're not the first pony to say that!"

Misty sighed. "...Look, um...uh..." She seemed to be fumbling with the name. Finally, she gave up. "Look. I'm only in town for three days. My parents needed me to help them unload some-"

"WHAT?!" Pinkie exclaimed...causing Misty to rear up in surprise. Before she could react further, however, Pinkie shot in front of her and began to get in her face, looking desperate. "That's only two more days after today! Oh no! That means everything will have to be speeded up! We'll have to combine the 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and 'Farewell to Ponyville' party into one super, ginormous party!"

Misty blinked a few times, stunned...before she began to look rather nervous and uncomfortable. "Uh...did you say...party?"

"Yes, yes I did! And this is a full blown, four-alarm emergency party that we'll have to throw as soon as possible so that before you leave Ponyville you're friends with every single pony in town!"

The gray mare seemed to swallow, and looked to the side. "Uh...um..."

"Come on! It'll be loads of fun!" Pinkie said, grinning and hopping up and down again.

"Yeah!" Rainbow threw in, having caught up by now. "Pinkie can be a little excitable, but she throws great parties. We can get our other two friends together and have lots of nice decorations and food there too. And _I'll_ put on an airshow that you'll never forget and be able to tell all your friends back at home about."

Misty, in response, only seemed to cringe a little. Twilight, picking up on this, quirked an eyebrow. However, even Fluttershy was nervously joining in. "Oh yes, please do. I can introduce you to some of my animal friends. I'm sure they would like to meet a new pony."

However, the gray mare, merely turned her head down and pushed past Pinkie, looking severely uncomfortable by now. "...I don't like parties..." She mumbled as she went on her way again.

Once more, the four were left standing dumbfounded. Rainbow soon frowned again. "Like I said, look how rude she is!"

"I don't think it's being rude, Rainbow." Twilight responded. "I think she's nervous...even afraid."

"Yeah...now that you mention it, she seems a lot like Fluttershy." Pinkie threw in, showing her random act of being observant. She frowned and began to think hard. "This is a doozy... I mean, I dealt with ponies who didn't want parties or friends or attention before, but I had a few days to work on them until they decided to be friends." She abruptly looked worried, and turned to Twilight in a panic. "How am I supposed to make friends with a difficult pony in only three days?!"

Twilight paused momentarily. She looked at Misty again, who continued to keep her head bowed as she walked.

"...Maltwillow..." She mused again. "I know I heard about that before..."

The other ponies looked to the unicorn. After a moment, however, she looked up again.

"While normally I'd say that we should just leave it alone...something about Misty reminds me about when I first moved to Ponyville. Maybe we shouldn't give up so soon." She turned to the others. "Let's...just try to be a bit quieter, shall we?"

With that, she turned and went after Misty again. The other ponies soon followed.

It didn't take long to catch up a second time. This time, Twilight moved up to Misty's side. The mare again looked and saw her, and let out a deep-throated whine. "Leave me alone..."

"Hey, wait just a second." Twilight said softly. "I'm sorry if we all came on too strong. We didn't mean to make you nervous if you're shy. Can we start over, Misty?"

"I'm really not in the mood..." Misty sighed.

"Come on...please? I know what it's like to be in a new place and be nervous. But my friends are really great ponies. Come on...let's just start simple. I practice magic. Rainbow helps with the weather, Fluttershy takes care of the animals, and Pinkie loves to bake."

"And I can make you cookies or pie or cupcakes or regular cake or double layer cake or _triple_ layer cake or _quadruple_ layer cake or whatever layer cake comes after that but I don't know but I'm willing to give it a shot so..."

Pinkie trailed off as she saw the other three staring at her. She grinned sheepishly.

"...Or I can just make it for myself quietly."

Twilight turned back to Misty. "So what do you do?"

Misty closed her eyes, sighed, and then finally relented. "...I write stories for 'The Gazelle''s literary magazine.."

Abruptly, Twilight found herself almost knocked aside as Rainbow moved in next to her, grinning and looking at Misty. Again, the mare recoiled a bit.

"Stories? Like action and adventure stories?"

Misty blinked a few times, then looked to the side and shrugged. "Sure...a little..."

"Anything like 'Daring Do'?"

Immediately, the gray mare blinked and looked up to Rainbow.

"...Wait. _You_ like Daring Do?"

"Heh, who doesn't? She's only the most awesome pony on the bookshelf!" Rainbow laughed.

A change began to come over Misty. Slowly, she began to raise her head. "I...I really like Daring Do too. Did you read the latest one where she went to the Arctic?"

"Ha, did I? That was awesome! Especially when the pack of wolves came out!"

Misty blinked again...a smile beginning to come over her face. "Yeah...and she had only one torch left and it was going out, and so she ran into that ice chasm. That was so awesome when she was going down the ice, flipping and moving off the walls!"

"Heh, you darn right it was!"

Pinkie decided to move in right now. "You like action and adventure books? So do I! Do you like Noble Steed?"

Misty actually let out a laugh. "Do I? Heh, who _doesn't_? Did you read in the third book when he was facing off against that dragon?" She reared up on her rear legs and held her hooves up. "And he was all, like," She changed her voice and boomed loudly, all over the entire swap meet.

"'Even if all Equestria leaves the side of the princess, I will be her knight!'"

On hearing this, as well as seeing the changes coming over Misty, Fluttershy began to grow nervous and recoil again. She wasn't alone. Rainbow and Twilight pulled back a little at this last part, blasting all over the entire swap meet. Soon, the unicorn noticed all the ponies in the immediate vicinity had stopped what they were doing and were staring at her. And yet, Misty wasn't the least bit embarrassed. If anything, she was full of energy now.

"That was so incredibly awesome! Oh man, that inspired my own latest story!"

Pinkie, always oblivious to embarrassment as well, was hopping for joy. "I can't wait until the next one comes out! It's going to be fantastic! Especially when he was left hanging on the cliff!"

Unbelievably, Misty was beginning to hop as well. "Hey! They already released the newest book where I came from!"

Pinkie went wide-eyed. "Really?!"

"You bet! I already read it! I can recite the whole thing for you! I know it'll be another six months before an edition makes it to Ponyville!"

Pinkie began to squeal for delight. "Could you?!"

Twilight couldn't believe what she was seeing. Misty had been depressed moments ago, and now was suddenly bouncing with energy. There she was, literally matching Pinkie hop for hop. Immediately, she let out a nervous chuckle before moving in.

"Uh...heh, that sounds great, Misty. Say...why don't you come over to the library? You can tell us all the story and I'll bring Rarity and Applejack to see you too. Does that sound good?"

"Sure!" Misty instantly answered. Suddenly, however, her face fell, and her hopping stopped. "Oh...oh no, wait, wait... Uh, I got to finish my latest chapter. If I don't submit my new chapters on time, my publisher gets really upset."

Pinkie immediately stopped hopping and slumped as well. Misty, on her part, bowed her head and grew shy again.

"But...you know...if it's not too much trouble...maybe I could come tell you the story this afternoon?"

Twilight looked up at this, and Pinkie grinned again. She paused a moment, and then nodded. "Sure. That'd be fine. It'll give me time to get ready for you."

Misty looked up and smiled. "Really? Alright! See you...um...where again?"

Twilight blinked. "Uh...the library?"

"Oh, that's right! The library! I'll be there! See you girls!"

Misty turned and began to trot off...much more upbeat with a spring in her step. As soon as she was gone, Pinkie turned and grinned at Twilight.

"Say Twilight, you're good! You got her to agree to come over on the same day! Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Heh...first time I've ever seen anyone as bouncy as you, Pinkie." Rainbow threw in.

"Yes. Um...perhaps Misty is more like Pinkie than me?" Fluttershy quietly suggested. "What do you think, Twilight?"

The unicorn, however, had lost her own smile, and was staring after Misty as she disappeared into the crowd. She frowned after a moment, and looked to the others.

"...Girls, didn't anything about that seem incredibly weird to you?"

"Well, duh." Pinkie responded. "I mean...no offense, but since when are you better at making friends than me, Twilight?"

Twiight sighed. "That's not what I meant. I mean...look what happened. She was shy one moment, then suddenly she turned all happy and perky. Wasn't that weird?"

"Oh, you're such a worrier, Twilight." Rainbow snorted in response. "First you were nervous because she wasn't making friends, and now that she is you're worried again?"

Twilight grimaced a bit. "Yeah, but..."

"Hey, stop all this thinking!" Pinkie interjected. "You've got to get the library ready and I've got to tell Rarity and Applejack all about our new friend!"

"But..."

"And _I'm_ going to get ready for a cool stunt show!" Rainbow threw in. Immediately, she flapped her wings and took to the skies, pitching and then shooting away. "Later gang!" She called behind her.

"Come on, let's hop to it, Twilight!" Pinkie said as she bounced off.

"See you this afternoon, Twilight." Fluttershy added quietly before beginning to move away.

Soon, the unicorn was left standing by herself in the midst of the swap meet. She let out a sigh soon afterward, letting her head slump a bit as her eyes closed. "I've got a real weird feeling about all this..."

* * *

Twilight's horn was blazing its purple aura even more fervently than usual as she used her magic to rapidly flip through the pages of the current book she had pulled out.

"Micewillow...Mint...Moss... No! Not here either!" Immediately, she shut it and levitated it off of her reading desk. She turned her head soon after. "Spike, how's it coming along finding that book on plants in the Everfree Forest?"

The dragon was currently moving along on the rolling ladder, looking over the volumes. "I haven't found it yet, Twilight. But shouldn't we be tidying this place up..." He looked down at the piles of books on the floor. "...Not making it more of a mess?"

"I _know_ I read about Maltwillow when I was studying herbs back in Canterlot. It's rare but I think a good number of ponies use it...but why?" Twilight answered, only half-paying attention to Spike.

The dragon groaned. "Honestly, talking to you is like talking to a brick wall sometimes..."

"I need to find out about that herb, Spike. Something's not right here..."

"Why don't you just ask Zecora?"

The unicorn paused, and then looked up. "...That's not a bad idea, Spike. Hang on just a-"

Before she could finish, however, there was a knock on the door. Twilight snapped to it. A moment later, Spike finally managed to pull a book from the shelf.

"Alright, I think this is the one..."

"Oh no...they're here already!" Twilight exclaimed. She quickly turned to her dragonservant. "Spike, clean this up in a hurry!"

Immediately, she turned and ran for the front door...while Spike was left behind frowning, before he rolled his eyes and began to put the book away again, followed soon by picking up the next.

As for Twilight, she soon reached the door and immediately opened it up. Standing right outside was the rest of the gang, now accompanied by Rarity and Applejack.

"Hey guys! You're right on time!" She said as she stepped aside to let them in. One by one, the fillies entered.

"Hey Twilight!" Pinkie said as she hopped in. "A brought a board game, and I think I'll try to get Misty to accept that party again!"

"Hope she's on time...it's getting dark out and I want to get that show in." Rainbow added as she entered.

"I'm sure she'll like a taste of this here apple pie I brought." Applejack said as she entered. "Always nice to meet a new friend. Maybe she knows more about farm livin'?"

"Oh, dear, Pinkie told me all about the poor thing..." Rarity said as she entered. "I simply _must_ give her a new hair style."

"Oh...hi, Twilight." Fluttershy said as she entered, soon revealing several woodland creatures on her back. "I hope you don't mind. I brought Angel Bunny and a few of his friends. They're eager to meet her too."

Twilight couldn't help but pause a bit at the separate activity from everyone. As soon as they all were inside, she closed the door again and smiled a bit nervously at the others. "Girls...I'm not sure we should try to overwhelm her as soon as she gets here. I mean, do you really think we have time to do all of that?"

Immediately, Twilight recoiled as Pinkie jumped in her face.

"Well, we've _got_ to, Twilight! We don't have any more time for anything else! We've only got three...almost two...days!"

"Yeah, sugarcube." Applejack threw in. "And I haven't even met her yet."

"Don't worry so much, Twilight." Rainbow added, waving a hoof. "Just leave everything to us."

The unicorn paused again, once more grimacing as the others went about setting up their things.

A few minutes passed, and soon everyone was ready. Fluttershy had her animals, Rarity had set up her numerous articles of styling equipment around her flanks, Rainbow had crudely rearranged a few things for an indoor demo, Applejack had set out her spread at a table, and Pinkie's board game was all ready. Twilight exhaled on looking all of these over, one at a time, before she heard another hoof knock on the door. Perking up, the unicorn turned and walked to the door and opened it up.

There stood Misty, looking a bit shy again. At her side, she had brought something...what looked like keyboard and numerous songbooks. She smiled, however, at the unicorn.

"Hello...uh...um..." She bowed her head a moment. "Um..." Then, in a mutter under her breath. "Twww..."

Twilight blinked. "Uh...Twilight Sparkle, remember?"

Misty looked back up. "Oh yeah, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight looked to the keyboard. "Huh? What's that?"

Misty looked to it. "This? Well...um...I like to play a bit of music. I thought maybe I could play something for all of you."

Twilight smiled. "That'd be great! Come on in! Meet everypony!"

Misty smiled again, and then made her way inside. She moved a bit slowly and tentatively. And as soon as she was in, with all of the other ponies looking at her...she clearly looked a bit more uneasy. Twilight saw this, and for a moment wondered what would happen. However, she managed to stay calm and venture inside.

It wasn't long before Pinkie shot forward. She grinned and hovered in front of her face. "Hey Misty!"

The gray mare looked to her for a moment, but then smiled. "Oh, hey!"

Pinkie continued to smile and stare at her.

Misty paused. "Um...hey."

Pinkie blinked, still smiling, and motioned with her head.

Misty's smile began to fade, nervousness replacing it. She looked over Pinkie for a moment. She glanced at her Cutie Mark, and then back to Pinkie. "Uh...Balloony?"

Pinkie's smile faded, and she blinked in confusion. "...I'm Pinkie Pie. Remember?"

"Oh...oh yeah, Pinkie Pie."

The pink mare shook her head, and smiled again. "Nevermind that. I've got this great board game over here! Want to play?"

Misty lit up. "Oh? I love board games. But...I'd like to do my story first..."

"Oh, we have time for that. Can't we do the board game first?"

Misty, however, began to look uncomfortable at this. Twilight saw this, and again narrowed her eyes. "Uh...I guess..." Misty spoke quietly soon after.

"Oh no, darling..." Rarity suddenly interjected as she moved in, placing a hoof on Misty's mane. The result caused her to shrink back a bit nervously. "A makeover is what you need. I'm Rarity, and I know all there is to know about fashion and pretty ponies. I'll give you a coif that all of the colts will die for. It won't take but a flash. Maybe you can share some of the fashions they have in your part of Equestria while I do it?"

Misty stared back blankly for a moment, then bowed her head. "...No thanks."

"Well now, I'll just...wait, what?" Rarity responded, blinking a bit and looking surprised. "Darling, there's no need to be so timid. I won't charge you and I know what I'm doing."

"Um...that's alright. I don't really know a whole lot about mane styles." Misty quietly answered, keeping her head down. "I don't really care for ponies who spend all their time styling their hair and dressing in pretty things. I'm not interested in that stuff."

Twilight reacted a bit to this, especially the way Misty phrased it. Rarity, however, blinked a few times and gaped. After all, this was a big deal to her...and that had come off almost as an insult, the way she had almost been brushed off. Besides...no one had _ever_ refused a free improvement in fashion from her.

"But...but..."

Before she could say anything else, Rainbow soon moved in. "Heh...well...that's alright, Misty. Your mane is fine. I let mine go wild too. Now...find a place to sit, because I'm going to knock your shoes off. I've prepared this awesome indoor stunt that's going to blow your mind! I'm going to whip around this room 20 times, then launch into a series of barrel rolls, then I'll head outside and-"

"Um...sorry." Misty suddenly interrupted. "I think flying shows are kind of boring."

Now Twilight really did react to Misty's sudden abruptness. As for Rainbow, however, it looked as if the eyes would fall out of her head.

"But...but _everypony_ like a good flying show."

"I just...get real bored with them."

"How can you possibly get bored?!" The pegasus nearly yelled.

Misty shrugged. "I dunno...they're just...kind of boring to me."

Rainbow actually recoiled in shock, rendered mute. She stiffened and twitched a bit. However, before she could do anything else, Fluttershy moved in and up to the gray mare.

"Oh...hey Misty? I've brought Happy Bunny and some of his friends. And...you know, if you wanted to, you can come over and see them and I'll tell you all about them."

Misty blinked, and looked up to Fluttershy. After a moment, she walked over to where the animals were. Fluttershy followed her. Soon the two were coming to a stop in front of them.

"...They're really cute." Misty admitted.

Fluttershy smiled widely. "Why thank you. But of course, I didn't do that. I just fed them and cared for them. You know...bunnies are kind of cute all on their own. They just grow up that way. And...and...alright, I'll stop talking about bunnies now."

The reason for the sudden change was because, much as before, Misty had simply looked away and began to walk off in a different direction.

Now, Twilight was certain something was up. She almost excused herself to call for Spike, but before she could, another pony intervened.

"Well, we'll have all the board games you want after you've had a helpin' of my own apple pie." Applejack announced as she stepped up to Misty...who immediately looked twice as nervous. "Name's Applejack, partner. Nice to meet you. Come on over."

She put a hoof around Misty, and began to lead her to the pie...even as Misty looked more nervous.

Twilight continued to stare, growing more suspicious. She wasn't alone. Fluttershy looked like she had inadvertently done something wrong. Rarity was going into a huff, taking this as more of an insult than anything. Rainbow was still twitching, unable to process Misty's preferences. However, Twilight was interrupted as Pinkie moved up to her. "Come on, Twilight! Let's all have some pie!"

The unicorn blinked, and then looked to Pinkie. "Huh? Oh...yeah, sure, Pinkie."

However, as the other ponies went to eat pie, Twilight couldn't help but keep her eyes on Misty.

* * *

About an hour later, all of the ponies had been served, and were seated in a circle, Misty included. The girls had mostly recovered from Misty's reactions, although Rainbow and Rarity gave her somewhat hard looks from time to time, even as they chatted with each other. Twilight kept her eyes on her at all times, and soon saw a difference. Whereas the other five were talking and laughing...Misty had eaten her pie quietly and was now sitting with head bowed. In fact, Twilight noted she hadn't contributed so much as a word to the conversation. She just seemed to be sitting there...waiting for it to be over with.

"Ha! And remember that time that you got so worn out from harvest season that you couldn't even hit that see-saw I built?" Rainbow asked Applejack.

"Heh heh... Twernt too funny at the time, but I reckon it brings a smile to my face now." Applejack answered with a chuckle. "Not nearly as bad as the time Fluttershy brought in that parasprite."

Fluttershy blushed and lowered her head, but still managed to smile. "Oh yes. Oh...Pinkie. How did you know about how to get rid of them, anyway?"

"Yes, tell us, darling!" Rarity added.

"Well, it's a long story..." Pinkie said as she leaned back, closing her eyes. "You see, way back before I got my Cutie Mark-"

"Would everyone be alright if I started playing now?"

The other four ponies were suddenly cut off, and turned and looked to Misty. She had leaned up, and was looking at them now.

"I mean...it's getting late."

Pinkie's face fell. "But...I was starting to tell a story..."

At this, however...a new change came over Misty. Abruptly, her brow creased, and she gave Pinkie a rather hard look.

"Oh really? Well, as I recall, _I_ was supposed to be telling a story too. That's the whole reason I came over here. The whole reason I got done early writing. And you all have been talking non-stop for the past hour. Are you going to let me get in anything all night?"

The sudden change was unmistakable...Misty had taken a turn for the nasty. Twilight noticed it, and once more wished Spike was around. However, she quickly ignored that, and moved to deflate the situation. "Uh...everyone. Misty is our guest and is only here for three days, so why don't we let her play?"

Pinkie sank and began to become wide and teary eyed again. Rainbow and Rarity both were starting to give Misty dark looks. However, Applejack, on seeing everyone changing, managed to be calm. "Um...why, shore thing. I reckon a bit of music would be great for all of us."

On hearing this, Misty immediately brightened up. Dashing off in a flash, she began to set up her keyboard and her songbooks. As for the others, they picked up their pie plates, Rarity and Rainbow continuing to stare at Misty with frowns, and Twilight herself growing steadily uneasier. However, in the end, they all cleaned up, and the six gathered around where Misty was, as she got out a piano book and opened it up.

"This is one of my favorites." She said. "It's so powerful and moving. I only hope I can play it well enough to do it justice..."

"Oh, oh...Misty?" Fluttershy suddenly spoke up. The gray mare looked to her. "Could you...that is, if it's not too much trouble...could you play 'Bunnies in the Valley'? It's my favorite and Angel's favorite."

Misty's face fell, and she slumped a bit. "I'm...I'm sorry, I don't know that one."

"Oh..." Fluttershy answered. "Nevermind."

"How 'bout 'Gone Apple Pickin''? That's my favorite!" Applejack spoke up.

"Uh...sorry." Misty responded. "I don't know that either..."

Rainbow frowned a bit. "I don't suppose you can play the theme song for the Wonderbolts, can you?"

Misty looked up. "Actually...I do have the sheet music for that one."

Rainbow looked up momentarily.

Misty's face fell. "...But I'm not that good at it yet."

Immediately, the pegasus frowned again.

"Here...I'll play this one."

She turned and soon began to play...a powerful, well done...but slow and gothic melody. It wasn't long before the other ponies looked a bit awed and stunned at it. As it went on, only getting darker and more gothic, their looks only grew more uneasy. After a minute or two, while the ponies were still staring blankly, Spike stepped into the room, looking around for Twilight. However, he soon winced and gave a distinctive frown in Misty's direction. He soon moved over next to his mistress.

"Ugh...is there a funeral in town or something?"

Immediately, Twilight snapped on him and put a hoof over his mouth. "Shh!" She said. "Don't disturb her!" She retracted the hoof soon after. He blinked at the music.

He soon spoke again, quieter this time.

"Is she trying to depress us or something? What is that?"

"Sounds like the 'Suite of the Darkness' from the Nightmare Moon ballet." Twilight responded quietly. "It's quite powerful...but...not very uplifting."

"I'll say. I think this depresses me about as much as thinking about eternal night..."

"I think that was the idea when it was written..." Twilight murmured. "Anyway, Spike...did you find that passage on Maltwillow?"

Spike blinked. "Huh? You told me to clean up!"

"Ugh!" Twilight responded, rolling her eyes. "Just find it! And find it-"

Abruptly, the song ended. Misty turned and smiled at the others. "Was that good? I hope so..."

The six ponies stared back, rather blankly...except Fluttershy. She was hiding under her wings. Spike used the moment to quickly shoot back out of the room again. Silence lasted for a moment. At last, Twilight blinked. "Uh...yeah, Misty! That was great!"

The pony smiled. "Good! Because that was only the first of the ten movements."

Twilight and the others went wide-eyed again at that as Misty turned and began to play again, as Fluttershy tried to burrow into the library floor.

* * *

Another two hours passed...one for hearing Misty's music, and another for Misty to tell the story. By now, however, a distinct change had come over the six. They had grown increasing disinterested with Misty's "entertainment" and likes. Even Pinkie, who wanted to hear the story, had diminished in enthusiasm. Misty, on the other hand, was only more excited and energetic.

"And then, right as the army of goblins is about to come in, Noble takes up his battle axe in his teeth and charges right into them...and that's where it ends. Wow...that was amazing, wasn't it?"

Misty's audience looked less than enthused, and even a little tired, but managed weak smiles. Even Pinkie's smile seemed a little forced.

"Uh...yeah, Misty! That was really good! Anyway...now I guess I can tell my story! Ok. Like I said, this was before I got my Cutie Mark. One day, I was walking close to Everfree Forest, and-"

"Didn't you think it was so amazing on how he beat up that chimera?" Misty suddenly interjected. "That it was so cool?"

The other ponies looked curiously at Misty. Pinkie blinked a few times, then resumed. "Anyway, like I said, I was close to Everfree Forest, and all of the sudden I saw this parasprite. Now me, I thought, 'Oh look! How cute!' So I thought I'd take it home. And then-"

"And wasn't Princess Minerva just beautiful! I mean...she was like the ideal princess! I mean...how I imagine Princess Celestia must be like."

By now, Pinkie's eyes began to narrow. Even she was getting upset now...something highly rare.

"She was so good and kind... I hope I get to meet Princess Celestia some day...and Princess Cadence."

"You know," Pinkie restated, growing irritated and taking a sharp twing to her voice. "Maybe if someone else could tell a story for once, you'd know that we actually _have_ met-"

Twilight quickly butted in. "Um, Misty? That was a great story about Noble Steed...but we've, um...kind of moved on from that topic now."

Misty blinked a few times, and then settled down. "Oh...oh yeah. You're right."

Twilight, exhaling a bit, turned to Pinkie. "Now...go on, Pinkie. You took the parasprite home, and then what?"

Pinkie stared at Misty, now giving the stink-eye as well, for a full three seconds before easing back down. "Now _as I was saying..._ I took the parasprite home. And you know me, I like stuff with a lot of sugar, and I thought the parasprite would too. So, of course, I gave it some cookies. Well, it gobbled them all up, and then-"

"Hey, you know what kind of cookies midges eat?" Misty suddenly interjected with a grin. "_Short_-bread! Get it? Heh heh heh!"

By now, Pinkie looked on the brink of blowing over. She was quivering all over and glaring at Misty. However, again, Twilight intervened, quickly putting a hoof in front of Pinkie. "Now, now... Pinkie, Misty is our guest...and she's only here for three days, so why don't we let her talk about what she wants to talk about?"

Pinkie's anger abated, but she looked to Twilight tensely. "But...but she...! My story...!"

"Just for tonight...please?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie held a moment, but then sat down. She didn't cover up her irritation that well, however. She was soon quivering all over from holding her story inside and looking with her teeth grit at Misty.

Meanwhile, Misty, not seeming to realize she had stopped talking or how she was reacting, had kept right on as if nothing happened.

* * *

Three hours later, it was late...and the ponies had all but passed out. By now, they were all looking rather bored to death. As Misty continued to yap, the six looked utterly disheveled. Fluttershy was literally covering her ears to try and drown out the noise. Twilight was lolling her head around. Rainbow was repeatedly banging her head against the floor. Applejack was staring in disbelief at the endless ability of Misty to keep talking. Rarity was doing her nails for the tenth time over, having put on so much gloss by now that she had to wear sunglasses to handle the shine. Pinkie seemed _still_ upset about not getting to tell her story, and had only been quivering more and more.

"And anyway...that's why I think Daring Do is such a great role model, despite the action." Misty said with a smile. "Say...who do you all think is better, Noble Steed or Daring Do?"

Applejack blinked, and shook her head. The others seemed to snap awake too when Misty finally asked as question. As for the first, she smiled and waved a paw. "Aw shucks, that's easy. Daring Do."

Misty blinked a few times. "Really? You really think so?"

Rainbow stretched her wings and leaned up. "Sure. I mean, Noble Steed is cool and all, but all he does is fight the same monsters. Daring Do goes everywhere around the world, not just in the old castle days."

"Well, that's true." Misty responded. "But come on. Noble Steed has that awesome axe and that armor blessed by the sun? I mean...that's pretty great. That's really awesome."

"Well, shore." Applejack answered. "But Daring Do does everything without any of that fancy weapons or armor."

Immediately, Misty's eyes fell. A frown formed.

"...What exactly are you saying? Are you saying that the only reason Noble Steed is so cool is because of his axe and armor?"

Applejack looked up, and soon saw the change to Misty. "Well now, I didn't say that."

"Um...pardon me, but yes you did." Misty responded sharply. "You said Daring Do can do everything Noble Steed can do without any of that fancy weapons or armor."

"Now I didn't..."

"It takes _so_ much skill just to explore ancient temples and tombs. Well Noble Steed is just as brave as Daring Do. _Braver_. And Daring couldn't handle _half_ of the monsters that Noble fights!"

"Now there's no need to get so ornery!" Applejack retorted. "They're just characters in a story, after all!"

"Yeah, stories you obviously don't read enough of!" Misty retorted. "All you do is spend all your time thinking about apples and never getting out! I actually _read_ for a living! This is something I think I know just a bit more than you about!"

Applejack was rather taken aback at this, blinking a bit. She hadn't expected that harsh of a response. None of them did. As for Misty, she stared and fumed for a moment, before she got up and quickly went to her keyboard. Detaching it, she piled all of her songbooks on top of it, took it up, went right out to Twilight's front door, and without so much as a word stepped outside and let it slam behind her, upsetting some of the books on the shelves.

The six blinked in response, and looked back to each other.

"What...just happened?" Twilight questioned.

"I'll tell you what happened! We found out that pony really is a big jerk!" Rainbow immediately responded. "Ugh! Even if she didn't like my flying, she didn't have to be so mean! I put a lot of work into that routine!"

"Her piano songs were really...really...scary..." Fluttershy mumbled from the floor.

"She kept interrupting my story with her own boring, dumb stories!" Pinkie complained. "She kept telling the same joke again and again! And she never remembered my name! I mean..._look_ at me, Twilight! I'm pink all over!" She ducked to the side and emerged again with a slice of Applejack's pie, waving it to and from her head. "Even when I did _this_ she still got my name wrong!"

"Yes indeed!" Rarity added. "First she turns her nose at my generous offer, and then she rambles on and on about some dreadful war stories! Some of us don't even care for Noble Steed! Did she have to keep saying the same things about him for a solid hour?"

"That girl had a chip on her shoulder bigger than the orchard!" Applejack retorted. "See how mean she was! She asked me a question and I answered her, then she jumped at me faster than a cricket on a fresh apple fritter!"

Twilight's face fell a bit. "...I'll admit, she was kind of overbearing...and rude...and she didn't seem to take any hints we were giving her...and she couldn't remember my name either...and..." The unicorn swallowed, cutting herself off before she could think of more negative things. "But...maybe she was under the weather?"

"I know all about the weather, Twilight!" Rainbow retorted. "She wasn't under the weather! She was a few thousand feet beneath it!"

"She was completely rude and inconsiderate!" Rarity added.

"She never once talked to any of us, Twilight! All she did was go on and on 'bout things we didn't even care about!" Applejack threw in.

"You know...maybe I won't throw my big, ginormous 'Welcome to Ponyville'/'Farewell to Ponyville' party for her..." Pinkie mused aloud.

Twilight sighed. "You guys may be right. She's definitely an odd one. But something tells me I'd understand her a lot better if-"

Abruptly, there was a knock on the door. The ponies looked to it, and Twilight twitched an eyebrow.

"Now who could that be this late? It's almost midnight..."

Getting up, Twilight moved over to the door and, once again, used her horn to open it up...and looked rather surprised at who was there.

Misty was standing there, smiling a bit weakly.

"Uh...hi, everyone. Sorry I left before I got a chance to do this, but I had to hurry and get something for the other two in a flash...so here you go."

The pony entered the library again, this time having saddlebags on her flanks. She proceeded to walk in front of each pony and pull out a paper bag from her saddlebags and set it in front of each one. All of them, even Rainbow and Pinkie, stared and blinked a bit at this. After a few moments, Misty came back to the door and smiled weakly at them.

"Good thing a few people at the swap meet were going late." She paused, then motioned with her head. "Um...go on, open them."

Twilight blinked a bit, and looked to the others. None of them moved at first. However, in the end, they looked to their bags, and tentatively ripped them open.

Soon, all of them were going wide-eyed.

"Eau de Narcissus?" Rarity said as she picked up a bottle nearby. She went wide-eyed. "That's...that's the best perfume out of Manehatten!"

"Buckwheat flour!" Applejack remarked at her own, pulling out two large sacks. "I can make a mighty good batch of pies with that!"

"Whee!" Pinkie exclaimed, her previous anger having magically disappeared. "It's...it's...a record of the top 100 best party melodies!"

"Oh...look here. A pair of adorable hermit crabs. I've never had those as friends before." Fluttershy said with a wide smile as she looked at a case that was in hers.

"Hey! These are the newest line of goggles!" Rainbow said with a grin at hers. "They're aerodynamic, just like the Wonderbolts wear!"

Twilight was caught completely off guard. She turned to her own bag, staring uncertainly at it...before she leaned over, seized the top with her teeth, and ripped it back. Immediately, the paper was released as she gaped at what was inside.

"No...no way..."

It was the first edition of 'An Equestrian Reflection, the Memoirs of Aurora Borealis'.

Misty scratched the back of her head with a hoof. "I...uh...overheard you today talk about how you wished you could get it...right before we ran into each other..." She looked up with a nervous smile.

The ponies looked up in utter shock to Misty. Their previous anger was forgotten. Now, they stared in confusion instead. After what had just transpired, all of their complaints turned to salt in their mouths.

"Um...uh...well, you gals have all been so nice to me..." She murmured.

Twilight blinked, and looked down to the book, then back up.

"Misty...all of these gifts had to cost a _ton_ of bits..."

Misty merely shrugged. "It's just money. What else will I spend it on? Myself?"

Twilight blinked again. "But Misty...we just met earlier this morning..."

The pony looked up to them. "But...but we're all friends, right?" She said, almost hopefully.

The six were silent. They looked around and to the ground themselves for a moment. Some uncertainly twisted their front legs and avoided her gaze. Rainbow coughed. Rarity pawed at the floor. Twilight clenched her teeth a bit and stared at some spot on the ground. She looked to the book...the book she had wanted so much...now hers. She swallowed a bit, and then looked up uncertainly to Misty.

After a moment, she forced herself to smile.

"Um...you bet we are."

The other five forced smiles as well.

Misty smiled wide and perked up again.

"Great! I hope I can see you all tomorrow. Since the swap meet's still on, we'll meet there! Good night!"

The pony turned and began to trot off into the night.

The six were left standing behind. They sighed after a few moments, and then looked down uneasily at their presents.

* * *

Spike let out a large yawn as he continued to listlessly pull books from the shelf. "Can't we give it a rest, Twilight?"

"Are you kidding?" The unicorn responded, pouring furiously over the book she had on her reading desk at the moment. "We need that book more than ever now!"

"But it's three in the morning..."

"Come on, Spike! Don't quit on me now!"

Groaning, Spike continued to look. "Why didn't you just give the presents back?"

Twilight paused for a moment. She looked to the ground uncomfortably. "...Maybe we should have..." However, she shook her head soon after, groaning again. "No, no...that's not it, Spike. It's not the presents. It's _why_ she gave us the presents. She thinks we're all her friends."

The dragon looked up a bit. "And you aren't?"

Twilight paused in mid-movement. She had to think about that for a moment. In the end, her head slumped and sighed again. "I don't know... She made Pinkie upset...and Rainbow...and Rarity...and Applejack...and Fluttershy...and me... But we're the ones who started this! What are we supposed to do now? Go up to her and say we don't want to be friends with her? Ugh! I just need that book!"

"Well, even so..." Spike continued as he pushed the ladder to another shelf. "You didn't have to throw that big party for her tomorrow."

"Spike, _of course _we did!" The unicorn responded. "She must have spent 300 bits on all of us! We have to give her _something_! Now have you found the book or not?"

The dragon groaned, but then looked to the shelf one more time. Suddenly, his eyes opened wide. "Phew...finally!" He seized a thick green tome and pulled it off of the case. Immediately, he descended the ladder and went over to Twilight. The unicorn immediately removed her current book, but the green one in its place, opened it up, and began to use her horn to flip through the pages. After a few moments, she landed on one page in particular. She smiled triumphantly.

"Finally! Maltwillow!" She immediately leaned over the page and began to read aloud. "'Maltwillow - A special herb found only within the Everfree Forest. Used by ponies who worry too much, it helps them loosen up.'"

Twilight leaned up, and blinked a few times.

"That's _it_?" She retorted. "That's the big secret?"

"Should have gone to Zecora before she closed up shop for the day..." Spike murmured in response, letting out a yawn as he began to slump toward the ground.

The unicorn, however, frowned at the page. "This isn't good enough. This can't be it. I remember hearing about Maltwillow somewhere else. It was something important... If only I could think of where or when... Come on, Spike. Can't you remember the last time I talked about it?"

No response from the dragon. Twilight frowned and turned to him. "Spike...?"

However, she soon found the dragon on the floor, curled up into a ball and sleeping. He had passed out.

Twilight slumped. "Ugh...I suppose it _is_ time to call it a night. I can't think that well myself. I only hope if there's something important for us to think of, that I come up with it before tomorrow night..."

* * *

The day came and went. The Summer Swap Meet was still on, and Twilight and Spike still had no luck with their own things. However, they had met up with Misty again, who was a whole different pony. She was bright and energetic now, the total opposite of yesterday. Unfortunately, Zecora wasn't in that day. Her stand had been completely closed and all the wares taken in. As for Misty, she was invited to the party in her honor, and this time she accepted. That left the six ponies with the task of spending most of the day getting things ready for her at the bakery.

As the sun went down, and night fell, the guests arrived...and soon, the place was packed with at least half the ponies in Ponyville. A table full of food and drinks had been set out, another table with the record player had been set up, playing the same record Pinkie had gotten the night before, Rarity had set up all the decorations, and the six were all there, meeting up in the center. As other ponies came in and helped themselves get situated, and the music started, they all looked to each other nervously...all having fake smiles.

"Well...um...this is it, I reckon." Applejack stated.

"Um...yes. Everything set up for the party..." Fluttershy added.

"It's...it's quite lovely. I outdid myself..." Rarity murmured.

"You, um...you sure did, Rarity." Pinkie threw in with a gulp. "All...all ready for our...our...our friend, Misty."

"...Except she's not really our friend." Rainbow finally stated.

Twilight turned on her in an instant. "Rain-" However, she soon cut herself off. She looked at the other five, and saw the fake smiles and looks about them, and then bowed her head and sighed. "...You're right. This feels all wrong. It feels like we're lying or doing something bad...even cheating Misty. We should call the whole thing off."

"But Twilight, how do you reckon Misty would feel if she came in here and we told her to go home, that we weren't havin' the party because we weren't really her friends?" Applejack added.

"I would feel horrible..." Fluttershy admitted.

"Especially considering the lovely gifts...which we never should have accepted." Rarity admitted, bowing her own head.

"But...if _I_ got a really, really, really, really, really nice present for someone because I thought they were my friend, and they said they weren't and just gave it back...I'd feel awful..." Pinkie whined.

"I don't know how we got into this mess." Twilight sighed. "We all just set out to be Misty's friend. How could it have come to this?"

Abruptly, there was a knock on the door. The six snapped to it as if the boogeyman had just knocked. They all froze and looked to each other uneasily, each one gulping in turn. Twilight exhaled.

"Well...here goes."

She turned to the door, moved over to it, and then paused to breathe in and out and put on a friendly face. The other five did likewise. After that, her horn glowed and opened the door. Misty stood there...exactly like last night, holding her keyboard and her songbooks.

"Hey, everyone!" She said with a smile. "It's great to see you again!"

Twilight managed to keep her smile although sweat was mounting on her brow. "...Yeah..."

"Uh...great to see you too, sugarcube." Applejack added.

Misty soon stepped inside, stumbling a bit. "Sorry I'm late again. I didn't have time to drop off my latest manuscripts to my publisher. I'll have to step out in a bit and mail it off, but I just wanted to let you all know I wasn't going to miss my own party. And I brought my keyboard with me! I-"

The filly soon froze. Abruptly, her face fell, and she started to look uncomfortable again. The six blinked in surprise at this, then turned and looked back into the room. They saw nothing out of the ordinary, and then looked back to Misty.

"Um...what's the matter, dear?" Rarity answered.

"Oh...nothing." Misty said in response, sounding low and quiet again. "I...I just thought that it was just going to be the seven of us..."

The other six looked to her, and after a moment Pinkie smiled hesitantly. "Oh...well...I said I'd invite every pony in town to come be your friend, and I always keep my Pinkie Promises."

Misty didn't answer. She only looked more and more uncertain and uncomfortable. After a moment, Rainbow and Pinkie moved to either side of her and began to lead her in.

"Now...now don't be shy." Rainbow said uncertainly. "Come on in. Meet everyone. Have a good time. Hey Fluttershy, could you get her keyboard?"

Misty blinked, and snapped out of it long enough to look surprised. "My...my keyboard? Wait, no-"

But it was too late. Fluttershy moved in and took it. Pinkie smiled back. "You see, we're going to use that nice party mix you made for me tonight. That way you can just relax and don't have to make music at all!"

"But...but..." Misty began to protest.

"Now come on." Rainbow said, still leading her. "Let's go make more friends, alright?"

"But..."

Rainbow and Pinkie continued to push her. Twilight watched this, and soon heard a screeching noise. She looked down...and saw that Misty had planted her feet against the ground and wasn't budging. She was being dragged to the party. In only made Twilight frown again as she looked up to her. The remaining ponies did much the same.

"My word." Rarity stated. "She's even more timid than Fluttershy."

"You reckon that pony is sick or something?" Applejack asked.

Abruptly...Twilight's head perked up.

"...That's it!" She exclaimed.

The other three looked to her. "What is?" Rarity asked.

"That's what I couldn't remember! That's where I saw it! Pony illnesses!"

"Hold on, what?" Applejack answered.

Twilight, however, quickly turned to them. "Hang on, will you? I need to get back to the library! I'll be there and back in a flash!"

"Wait, Twilight!" Applejack protested.

"You can't just run off!" Rarity called.

However, it was too late. Twilight was already out the door.

* * *

The door to the library snapped open, colliding so hard that Spike, who had been loudly snoring until this point, snapped awake and flailed a bit in his bed.

"Huh...wha?"

"Spike, get up!" Twilight called as she ran in through the door.

"Aw, come on, Twilight..." The dragon grumbled as he got up. "You kept me up until three last night looking for a book, and made me get up early to head to Summer Swap Meet..."

"This is important!" The unicorn stated as she ran into the library and began to search through the books again. Books flew off the shelves in a flash as her horn glowed and moved them around. "I need to find 'Pony Ailments, Illnesses, and Maladies'! Ugh...we need to move fast! I think I'm finally starting to understand why Misty acts the way she does! It was something I learned years ago back in Canterlot, but I forgot until now! If I remember, there's something important about it...it's-"

Abruptly, Twilight froze.

The book she was looking for was hovering right in front of her, held in her face by Spike. She looked down at him.

"Spike, how'd you find it so fast?"

The dragon carried it over to the reading desk and tossed it on it. "This is one that I keep on standby. I _always_ wonder if something's gotten into you, Twilight..."

The unicorn grimaced a bit, but then dashed over to the book. Using her horn, she opened it up and quickly flipped through to the index.

"Come on...ailments that are treated by Maltwillow... Here!"

Finding the right page, she flipped back to the appropriate page, and began to read aloud.

"'The Paces - The Paces is not a true illness as its not caused by dark magic or germs, but is rather a way in which certain ponies come into Equestria when they're born. Ponies with 'the Paces' frequently fixate on certain things to the exclusion of all else, unable to stop themselves from dwelling on those things, whether good or bad. As a result, they have great difficulty making friends, often not knowing what to do when they make them and other ponies not realizing why ponies with 'the Paces' behave the way they do. Irregular behavior includes having a difficulty remembering basic information about their friends such as their names, assuming other ponies like what they like as much as they do, growing excessively angry over small things, not being aware of when other ponies are bored with conversations, and not realizing how to be polite and speaking their mind in brash ways. Ponies with 'the Paces' frequently have to make routines for themselves and plan for things in advance, and if something major and unexpected occurs they can grow uncomfortable, scared, frantic, angry, and even violently hysterical. Ponies with 'the Paces' often eat Maltwillow once a day in order to be more at ease around other ponies, but due to their tendency to fixate on things, they can forget to eat it."

Immediately, Twilight went wide-eyed.

"Oh no..."

Spike blinked in response to that, and grimaced. "That look in your eyes is never good, Twilight..."

The unicorn immediately snapped to Spike, knocking the dragon over in surprise. "Misty has 'the Paces', Spike! That's why she acts so strange to us! She doesn't even know that she's acting strange! And..." Suddenly, Twilight looked up again. "Oh no..."

Spike sighed and got up again. "What else?"

"The party!" Twilight responded. "We told Misty we were throwing a party for her! What if she got so excited she forgot to eat her Maltwillow for today?" She began to look even more nervous. "And she's at that party now! With all those unfamiliar ponies! She thought it was just going to be us six! She's going to be more uncomfortable than ever! We've got to call off the party!"

Immediately, the unicorn snapped around and charged back for the front door, going so fast that she left Spike spinning in a whirlwind. Once it was done, the dragon staggered about dizzily for a moment...before simply collapsing and immediately resuming snoring.

* * *

At the party, things were already going south.

Misty was more uncomfortable now than she had been when they first met. She was pretty much keeping to the corners, avoiding the talking and chatting ponies like the plague, and looking around nervously. One would hardly guess she was the focus of the celebration with the way she tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. Nervously, she went over to the food table and tried to get a cupcake, and saw some other ponies talking.

"Wasn't that the funniest thing you ever heard?"

"Wasn't it? I mean, I thought I'd shake my shoes off. He can tell a joke like no one else."

Misty nervously smiled. "Um...you know, I know this really good joke. You know what kind of cookies..."

However, the two fillies talking walked off, still having their own conversation, and having not noticed Misty. The gray mare's face sank again. She turned and looked, and soon saw some others talking.

"When does the newest book come out in Ponyville?"

"Not for another six months."

"Are you kidding? I can't wait that long to see what happens!"

Misty tried approaching this group. "You know, I know what happens. You see in my part of Equestria-"

"Well, don't you think it might be fun to predict it?" One of the ponies cut off, not hearing her.

"I suppose you're right there. I say he'll probably call for some pegasus reinforcements."

"Actually, he doesn't-" Misty tried to interject.

"Or what about his armor turns out to use the sun to blind the enemies?"

"That _would_ be interesting!"

The gray mare paused a moment, then slumped and walked away.

Another group of ponies was soon approached.

"Did you see the last performance of the Wonderbolts?"

"I did! Can you imagine? They did a 44-turn barrel roll? That broke their previous record by 4 turns!"

"Oh, I wish I could have been there!"

Misty blinked a few times, and swallowed. "I'm...not a big fan of flying stunts...but I know my friend is, and-"

However, they had already moved on without her again. Misty looked even more uncomfortable. She began to turn and move again. However, before she could get far, Rainbow and Rarity were in front of her.

"So, what do you think, Misty? Cool party, huh?" The pegasus asked.

"Isn't the decor rather grand?" The unicorn added.

"And the music! Doesn't it rock?"

Misty swallowed. "...It's...it's very nice, you two. But..."

Rainbow's face grew annoyed. "_Rainbow_, Misty. I've told you my name a dozen times now! Can't you remember it?"

The gray mare began to prance tensely against the ground. "I...I really appreciate what you've all done for me. I really do. But...but...I think I'm going to leave."

Both reared back.

"Leave?" Rarity answered. "After all the work I...I mean, we did putting this party together?" Her face turned into a frown. "Misty, I didn't want to have to say this to you here...but you can be quite rude! Even if you don't like the party, this was done as a favor to you!"

Misty began to quiver, bowing her head and looking to the ground.

"I...I really appreciate it. I really do. I'm just...just..."

"Ugh, you don't have to go work on your writing again, do you?" Rainbow sighed.

However, on hearing this, Misty suddenly snapped her head up.

"My...my writing? Oh no... I forgot to mail in my manuscript!"

Immediately, the pony was off in a flash, shooting over to where her saddlebags were. Both Rainbow and Rarity looked up and blinked, even as Applejack began to come over to them. She sighed on seeing Misty's move.

"Wonderful. What in tarnation is she doin' now?"

As for Misty, she soon approached the side of the room, shooting past Pinkie who was enjoying the party herself even if she wasn't, and past Fluttershy. She looked to her.

"Hey, uh...um...er..." Misty was soon straining to think.

Fluttershy blinked, and soon looked downcast herself. "...Fluttershy, Misty." Her head went lower and turned away. "But...I understand if you don't think I'm worth remembering..."

Misty looked up at that, immediately seeming twice as nervous. She furiously shook her head. "No, no! That's not it at all! It's just...uh...Fluttershy...have you seen my saddlebags?"

The shy pony paused, then pointed a hoof nearby to some bags in the corner. Immediately, Misty dove on it and opened it up. Quickly, she started tearing into it, yanking out papers, quills, and ink and throwing it about on the floor, most of it coming onto the dance floor. Naturally, she could only do this for a few moments before the other ponies noticed, and began to cease dancing and talking and looking to her. Pinkie was one of those as she paused, looking at papers flying around.

"Huh...something tells me that the confetti should be smaller than this..."

Misty finished clearly out one bag, and gasped at the sight. She quickly tore through another one...and found nothing. Immediately, she began to panic. She breathed in and out really hard.

"It's...it's not here! I misplaced it! But...but I spent six hours working on it! I can't write it again tonight!"

The other ponies began to approach her at this point, noticing that she wasn't just growing nervous...she was panicking.

"Now, hold on there, sugarcube..." Applejack stated as she approached. "I'm sure you can-"

Immediately, Misty snapped on her.

"Hold on? _Hold on?!_ I'm doomed! My publisher is going to think I'm irresponsible! He'll fire me for sure! And I'll never be able to get another writing job! No one will want to publish me if I can't meet my deadlines!"

"Now, wait a second, Misty." Rainbow began to say. "I've been real freaked out before, but-"

However, Misty wasn't calming down.

"What am I going to do? What am I going to do?! _What am I going to do?!" _Abruptly, her face changed...turning from panic and fear...to absolute rage. The other ponies saw this, and began to shrink back.

"Uh oh..." Pinkie murmured. "Looks like Misty's name should have been Kablooey!"

Fluttershy began to whimper as she tried to hide.

"It's this party! It's this stupid party! If only I hadn't tried to work so hard to get to this party in time, I wouldn't have misplaced my manuscript! I don't even like this party! All it is is a bunch of ponies I don't know talking to themselves about things I don't know about, music that I never listen to, and decorations I don't like! Why did I ever come here?! I'm ruined because of one stupid party! It's not fair! _It's not fair!_ UGH!"

Then...Misty blew a gasket.

As the guests stared on in shock, Misty ran over to the nearest decoration streamer, seized it in her teeth, and ripped it off the wall, ripping all the rest of the streamers down and on top of them. Still grunting and fuming, she rushed over to the food, reared around, and gave it a rear leg kick to send it flying. Derpy, who had been reaching for a muffin, quickly recoiled, barely avoiding the flying table, and turned to gape in surprise at Misty along with other guests. The cupcakes splattered all over the five fillies nearby...and the punch bowl sailed through the air before landing directly on a cringing Fluttershy, soaking her with sugar drink. Still fuming, Misty began to cast about the room, kicking and charging, knocking over furniture, and sending other ponies running for their lives. They all cried out and ran to the walls and corners as Misty thrashed about, ruining everything. Finally, she came up to the record player...where one last kick from her smashed the entire machine off of the table, sent it flying against the ground, and obliterated it.

By now, the room was deathly silent. The other ponies were pressed against back walls, gaping in total shock at the main floor, where Misty stood, fuming, panting, and sweating. She snorted and grit her teeth, looking almost possessed. She glared angrily at all of the guests, who stared at her for a moment as she only snorted and continued to seethe at them.

Finally, it happened.

The other ponies began to slowly cringe and pull back from Misty.

The gray mare's anger abated a little at that, and she looked up. She looked around herself, but everywhere she only saw ponies pulling away from her, some of them trying not to look at her. Some quickly slipped out the back. Others turned to each other and murmured about how mean the pony in their midst was. Finally, she looked to the five, and the last of her anger almost faded at once.

Rarity was horrified at how her hair was ruined from a cupcake smeared in it. Fluttershy was crying, and Applejack was trying to console her. Rainbow was staring at her as if she needed to get in a fight with her...and Pinkie had actually recoiled against a wall, letting out a yelp as she looked at her.

Misty blinked a few times at this.

Then, in a snap, she spun on a hoof and shot for the door as fast as she could.

As it turned out, the moment she reached it, Twilight finally returned and opened it up. Yet no sooner had she done so than Misty tore by, not even looking at her, and ran off into the night. The unicorn looked after her, then looked back into the room. Immediately, her eyes bulged before she walked inside.

"What...what happened in here? It looks like Rainbow let off one of her tornadoes indoors!"

"That crazy pony is what happened!" Rainbow stated angrily as she moved out to Twilight. "She's completely out of control!"

"Her behavior is the most appalling and dreadful of any pony I have ever met in my entire life!" Rarity angrily stated as she tried to get cupcake out of her mane.

"Twilight, I think it's better we just try to avoid Misty from now on before she wrecks somethin' else the next time she can't find somethin'." Applejack answered as she yanked the wrapper out of Rarity's mane.

Twilight tensed up at all of this. "Oh no...I was too late! Listen, it's not Misty's fault! She can't help it! She has something called 'the Paces'! That's the reason she acts like this! She's trying her best not too but she can't!"

"Huh?" Rainbow responded, her anger fading a bit into confusion. The others began to look much the same. "What are you talking about? How can she not be trying to act like that?"

"She yelled at everyone and insulted my decor and everypony here, Twilight!" Rarity added. "How could she not mean it?"

"She was frustrated!" Twilight answered. "She was out of control because she was so tense and nervous! Listen, where did she go? We need to track her down before-"

Twilight was soon cut off again, however, as a clopping was heard passing through the still-open doorway. The six turned and looked, and were just in time to see a familiar zebra pass through the threshold, and immediately freeze. Zecora blinked a few times and gaped in amazement.

"By great Celestia that you all hold dear, what in Equestria happened in here?"

Pinkie, however, had a shift in mood. She smiled a bit. "Oh, hey Zecora! I was afraid you wouldn't make it to the party...or what's left of it by now. I think some of the cupcakes on the floor only got half-smooshed so they're probably ok. Anyway, I would have told you earlier but you weren't at your stall today."

The herbalist blinked a few times, but then calmed enough to speak again.

"A sneaky thief caused me great worry and toil... Someone took all of my leaves of Goldfoil." She looked up soon after to the crowd in the room. "And since so many ponies are here, perhaps the culprit will now become clear."

"Well...I certainly didn't take it." Fluttershy said quietly, just beginning to recover from crying. "I know that stuff makes Angel Bunny's tummy rumbly, even if only a smidge."

"And I sure don't want anything like that!" Pinkie responded. "I've got too many parties to throw before I go to sleep for good!"

Slowly, a murmur came over the crowd as all of the other ponies, one after another, simply shook their heads or denied it. Zecora, however, narrowed her eyes and stamped a hoof.

"Those leaves are quite dangerous, I said so myself. So which pony lifted it off of my shelf?"

Twilight shook her head. "None of us have it, Zecora. I certainly didn't want any when you told me about what it does right before we met..."

Instantly, the unicorn's pupils shrank to dots.

All at once...the truth became clear.

"No..."

Rainbow blinked a bit on seeing this change. "Twilight, are you alright? You don't look good..."

"I don't think I've ever seen you look so scared, sugarcube...and that's sayin' somethin'." Applejack added.

However, Twilight immediately snapped to the others.

"Everyone...we need to find Misty _right now!_ She's going to hurt herself if we don't!"

The other five began to look back a bit at that.

"But-"

"There's no time for buts!" Twilight immediately cut off. "Rainbow, get in the air and look around Ponyville as fast as you can! Rarity, check in town! Applejack, check your orchard! Pinkie, check near the Everfree Forest! Fluttershy, check in the meadows! I'll check the other side of town! Hurry! We have to find her before it's too late!"

The other five paused momentarily. Less than a few minutes ago, all of them had been turned off to Misty. However, after hearing Twilight's explanation, brief as it was, and hearing what she said would happen...and the urgency in her voice...Twilight's natural leadership began to take hold of them. Forgetting hesitation, they all shifted to the ready. Even Fluttershy managed to stand. Applejack nodded.

"You heard the pony. Let's round us up a mare."

Twilight turned and immediately took off. The other five soon followed.

* * *

Twilight hadn't felt so desperate to find something since the Crystal Heart. She moved as fast as she could around Ponyville's outskirts, gradually making her way further out and looking in every dark hole and cranny she could. Her horn radiated with light to shine the way, and she continuously called for Misty's name. She didn't know it, but the others were searching just as eagerly. Rainbow was making ever widening circles around town, Applejack was darting two and from every tree in her orchard, Fluttershy was looking in all the warrens and dens large enough to fit a pony, Rarity was knocking on every door, and Pinkie? Well...needless to say, she seemed to be popping in and out of every place on her side of Ponyville that a pony could go...and many places they _couldn't_.

Still, Twilight felt her own heart beat faster and faster as she ran along, shining her horn everywhere.

"Maybe I should get Spike to help look... No, there's no time! If I head back to the library it might be too late! She wouldn't do it... She _couldn't_ do it...could she? She can't be _that_ upset... But...after what she did to the party..."

More fears began to sink into the unicorn's heart, and despair nearly began to come out...when, at last, she saw it.

Just up ahead was the footbridge over the river leading out of town. And there, lying in the grass, head down and not moving, was a gray mare.

On seeing her not moving, more fear rushed into Twilight.

"Misty!"

A moment later, the unicorn's heart began to beat again when Misty's head raised, and she turned to see her. However, as Twilight dashed up to her...the pony slowed.

Misty didn't look angry or enraged at all anymore. Instead, her eyes were red and rimmed and shimmering. She had clearly been crying, and crying a lot. When she saw Twilight, she began to cringe again, retreating and bowing her head. Not only that, however...she was using her head to cover up something.

Seeing this, Twilight's momentary surprise vanished. Instead, her face became stern. She soon reached near Misty and ground to a halt, digging her hooves in and casting up some dust.

"What do you have there, Misty?" She asked, almost demanding and shouting. "Show it to me! Now!"

Misty began to tremble all over. She bowed her head and looked to the ground.

"Let me see it!" Twilight shouted again, before turning the light out and using her magic.

Misty soon sprang up a bit, and then cringed again as Twilight's spell grabbed what she was hiding and pulled it out. Despite the fact that she had feared this from the beginning, Twilight still gasped on seeing it.

It was all of Zecora's Goldfoil leaves.

Misty began to quiver more and bow her head again as she realized she had been exposed.

Twilight's face tightened in anger. Elevating her head, the Goldfoil leaves shot into the air, and with a second spell exploded in a massive, loud firework eruption. The Goldfoil leaves were instantly turned into ash and blew away in a passing breeze. She looked back down to the mare.

"What were you thinking, Misty?! Did you know what would happen if you ate those leaves?"

The mare kept her head bowed and eyes closed.

"...Yes."

Twilight's face softened, turning from anger into a mixture of shock and fear.

"...Then why, Misty? Why would you ever do something like that?"

The gray mare kept her head bowed. She remained silent. Twilight looked at her still. She continued to soften, and soon stepped a bit closer.

"Please tell me, Misty."

The pony held a bit longer, before her eyes finally opened again.

"...Because I'm so tired of everything, that I don't care if I go to sleep forever."

Twilight continued to look with concern. As for Misty, however, tears began to well in her eyes again.

"Midnight..."

"Um...Twilight, Misty."

"...You know how many friends I've had in my entire life, Twilight? None. I can't make friends. I've tried and tried... I try telling jokes and stories to make them happy, but everyone just gets bored with me. I try playing my music for them, but no one likes what I play. And although I try as hard as I can...sometimes I get so nervous and frightened that I feel completely out of control and I lose my temper. Sometimes it's small, like when I yelled at...at...you know, your apple-farming friend...last night. But sometimes...it's like what I did tonight.

"Everyone I've ever tried to make a friend with started out the same way. They smiled and laughed and we had some good times, and I was happy. But then...something would happen. I'd get too nervous one day I forgot to eat my Maltwillow. Or something I hadn't expected would pop up and I'd be terrified. And then I'd turn into a whole different pony. And then...no one would want to be my friend anymore. They'd stop hanging out with me, they'd stop answering the door when I knocked, and they'd tell other ponies about how mean I was. They'd even be scared of me."

Twilight looked on as she heard this. "Misty..."

The mare began to sniffle as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm so lonely... I have all these books and my writing and my job...but I come home and I don't have anyone to visit or have a good time with. No one ever invites me anywhere. No one ever comes by when I'm sick or congratulates me when something good happens. No one ever understands that I'm trying and trying my hardest to be a good friend...but I can't stop myself from acting the way I do sometimes. No one's ever going to want to be my friend. I'm going to spend the rest of my life being unloved and hated by everyone I meet."

The unicorn began to step forward at this. "That's not true, Misty. It's not your fault. I know you have 'the Paces'."

The gray mare's eyes widened a bit at that. She turned and looked to Twilight. "Huh?" She said. After a pause, she spoke further. "But...but how did you find out? I never told you or any of the others."

Twilight managed a weak smile. "Well...I'm the kind of pony who never lets a mystery sit still. It still took me two days to find out. And when I did...I understood why you were acting the way you did. Why didn't you tell us?"

Misty began to cringe again, looking away.

"...Ponies already think I'm mean and uncontrollable. I didn't want to give them another reason to not like me. I don't want any pony to think I'm any less than them."

Twilight moved to Misty's side and sat down in the grass next to her, causing the mare to look to her. She managed to smile a bit more at the pony.

"You're not, Misty. I know you're not. But you're dealing with something that most other ponies never have to deal with. If other ponies knew what you were going through, they'd understand when you lose control. They might even help you."

"But...I just want to be like everypony..."

"But everypony's different, Misty. And having 'the Paces' isn't all bad. It's how you're able to write, because you have great attention to detail. And why you play so well, because you're thinking of everything that goes into making music at a time."

For the first time since they started talking, Misty began to smile a little, blushing a bit at the compliments.

"It's just something that makes you special. And part of having real friends is not hiding such a large part of who you are from them. If they really are your friends, they'll accept it."

Misty's smile faltered, and she blinked a few times. She looked back up to Twilight uneasily.

"...That's...that's kind of you. But...but can the others ever like me again after what I did?"

"Sure we can!"

Both Twilight and Misty looked up at that, and to nearby. To Twilight's surprise, the others were gathered there, making their way forward. Both of them blinked in astonishment.

"Girls...you found us?"

"Well, duh." Pinkie answered with a wave of her hoof. "I think everyone in Ponyville saw you launch that firework. That was cool! Can you do it again, Twilight?"

"We also overheard what you said." Rarity threw in. "So...is that true, Misty?"

The gray mare bowed her head again. "I'm...I'm really, really sorry for ruining the party. And for acting so strange. Can...can you forgive me?"

The other ponies looked to each other, and smiled before looking back.

"Shore, partner." Applejack threw in.

"It's not a fun party anyway if your friend isn't having any fun!" Pinkie threw in.

Misty looked up at that, honestly amazed.

"You...you still want to be my friends? Even after everything I did? Even...even knowing I have 'the Paces'?"

"Eh...might be pretty cool to have someone like that for a friend." Rainbow answered with a grin. "After all, I put up with Pinkie."

"I know I'm always really shy...so it wouldn't be very nice of me to not be friends with someone who has a harder time around other ponies than _I_ do." Fluttershy added with a smile.

Twilight looked to Misty herself. "So how about it? Should we give this another shot?"

Misty paused for a moment, staring at all of them, looking to them all smiling at her...coming back to her not with fear but with open arms even after her outburst. Misty stared a bit longer, and her eyes began to fill with tears again. This time ones of happiness. A smile began to form again.

"I'd...I'd really like that..." She paused here, and concentrated as hard as she could. She closed her eyes and struggled to remember, before finally opening them again. "Tw...Twilight!"

The unicorn smiled in response.

"Yay!" Pinkie said, beginning to hop up and down for joy. "Let's head back! I mean, it's getting late and most of the decorations are torn down and the food got all messed up...but I've worked with less! I can whip the party back up to shape in no time, and bring all the ponies back, and-"

"Uh...actually, um...uh..." Misty began to say, and started concentrating again. However, before she could go too far, Twilight leaned over and whispered in her ear, causing her to light up. "Pinkie...could we just, maybe, just have the seven of us hang out instead? And...I'd really like to hear your story about the parasprites this time."

Pinkie stopped bouncing, and stared a moment, before her own face lit up and she bounced twice as fast as before.

"Sure thing! You bet! Maybe I'll even let you throw in a joke or two during the slow parts!"

All seven of the filies let out a chuckle...and, for the first time, all laughed together.

* * *

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I've heard it said you can never judge a pony until you've trotted a mile in their horseshoes. Today I got reminded of just how important it is to live by that._

* * *

Early that next morning, as soon as the sun was up, and after a much more productive night that was fun for everyone, Misty returned to watch Rainbow Dash's stunt show, and gave her an ovation when she was finished. As it went by, she let Rarity do her mane...and she loved her look.

* * *

_Considering how I was when I first came to Ponyville...I probably should have realized how hard it is for some ponies to make friends. It can come as a shock to a lot of us that things we take for granted, like knowing how to talk to others and how to be friendly, can be really difficult for some ponies._

* * *

Following that, Misty returned to her parents' house and quickly wrote up a new chapter. The six waited patiently for her to finish. Luckily for her, she could afford to take more time now, as Twilight let her borrow Spike to send it in the fastest way possible to her publisher, and leaving more free time to spend the rest of the day with her new friends.

* * *

_I learned that, sometimes, ponies who seem to be the most rude and unfriendly are actually trying as hard as they can to fit in, and that people who seem to not want friends might need them more than anyone._

* * *

Part of the activities involved Misty spending considerable time with six flash cards featuring pictures of the six as well as their names, and struggling hard to memorize them.

* * *

_If we all learn how to understand everypony and what makes them unique or special, we might discover a whole different pony underneath the surface, and find a new friend we might have missed out on. Although some ponies might be a bit harder to make friends with than others due to who they are, we can get wonderful friends out of it if we're willing to put in the extra effort...and we might end up making a world of difference for an otherwise lonely pony._

_Your faithful student,_

_Twilight Sparkle_

* * *

At last, the next day came, and the six saw Misty off to the train station. As she stood on the platform and climbed inside, weighed down by her saddlebags and keyboard, she turned and smiled to the others. They all lined up and smiled back at her, and were one person more this time. Spike was riding on his familiar position on Twilight's back.

Misty paused for a moment, swallowing, and then took a deep breath and looked them over.

"...Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy...thanks."

Everyone smiled, and Misty was more encouraged as she realized she finally had their names.

"This has been the best Summer Swap Meet I've had in a long time. And...if it's not too much trouble...maybe we could get together again when I'm off work for Hearth's Warming?"

"That would be lovely, darling." Rarity answered with a smile.

"I'll make up a routine that even _you_ will be begging me to show you." Rainbow said with a grin.

"And...I'll try to learn these by then..." Misty added with a blush, turning to the side and showing several new song sheets poking out of her saddlebags: 'Bunnies in the Valley', 'Gone Apple Pickin'', and the theme for the Wonderbolts.

"Oh yes. And I'll make sure to bring a bigger audience to hear you play." Fluttershy said. "Just bunnies and birdies, though, so you won't be nervous."

Misty blushed a bit. "No, I guess I won't, heh." She looked up and smiled one more time. "Next time I'm feeling down, I'll be happy to know I've got my first friends waiting for me in Ponyville. Bye everyone!"

The other ponies immediately waved and cheered their own well-wishes, as Misty stepped onto the train. A few moments later, the whistle blew, and it began to pull away. The others watched it go as it picked up speed and chugged off into the distance.

"Well..." Twilight spoke up after a moment. "All in all, I'd say this was a good Summer Swap Meet. Not only did I get a rare book out of it, I got a rare friend, too."

Spike slumped a bit on the unicorn's back. "Speak for yourself. I still say all they had there was junk."

Twilight turned to him with a crafty smile. "Oh really? Then I guess you won't want this thing that Misty picked out of the meet for you."

Using her horn, she opened one of her saddlebags and lifted out a brown bag, placing it in a surprised Spike's lap. He blinked a few times, but then opened it up. He immediately gasped at what was inside.

"A new checkers set with dragon tokens? Hey...these are the _famous_ dragons too! This is way better than that set I threw in the trash..."

Twilight gave him a look.

"I mean...sold at Summer Swap Meet. But..." He looked confused. "I looked down every aisle of that swap meet and I didn't see anything I wanted!"

The unicorn shrugged. "Oh well..."

She looked back out again, watching the train vanish over the hill.

"I guess, for some things, you just need an eye for detail."

* * *

THE END


End file.
